JaMarcus Russell's return to greatness isn't going as well as planned... The former No. 1 pick of the Oakland Raiders...

...

Russell returned to his native Alabama after being released by the Raiders in 2009. His attempts to return to the NFL have been slowed down by charges that Russell was illegally sipping "purple drank."

The Raiders signed Russell to a six-year contract worth up to $68 million, with $31.5 million guaranteed. But in true Al Davis fashion, the team is trying to recuperate some of that signing bonus.

He has plenty of ca$h..however, California is one of a handful of states ( I believe it’s 9) that doesn’t allow lenders to seek recourse against other assets after a foreclosure, if there is still a deficiency. I figure that he bought at the top of the market..probably put nothing down...because he got the loan based upon his expected NFL signing bonus..now it’s 30-40% underwater (around a million $$)..so he’s doing the smart thing in walking away..

Russell is the poster child for why the NFL is ready to throw down a couple of seasons to change the salary structure. As soon as he got a big paycheck he quit trying. Guys like Manning, Brady, Adrian Peterson, etc., play hard because they want to win, so a big contract doesn't slow them down. For others, the game is over as soon as the guaranteed money comes in.

The NFL wants a structured rookie salary cap to prevent these kinds of contracts, although it's obviously the Raiders fault that they placed a bet on a bad risk. On the back side, though, a structured rookie salary cap would dampen all NFL salaries. There's already a tendency to dump an older player and go with a younger guy. If the owners can sign rookies at a lower salary hit and the players can't negotiate until their first contract is out, only a few players will get offered a second contract unless they're willing to work on the cheap. This is where the anti-trust exemption helps the NFL tremendously. They have a cartel which allows them to collude to keep salaries low by refusing to hire players from another team.

On to JaMarcus, when a #1 pick can't get work as a backup project, he's toxic. Russell's only chance at a stable financial life is gone. He could easily end up like Joe Gillam, the Steelers QB that ended up being a street bum.

From the article: In the Commonwealth of Virginia, Everclear is legal, but not sold by state-controlled liquor stores, which have a policy against selling grain alcohol lacking distinctive color, odor, and flavor.

But Everclear DOES have a distinct flavor: It's called "My God that BURNS!"

And, while its distinct odor: "those tacos I ate last night... ...oh yeah, and hint of pizza", and its unique color: "Ralph Brown", are not usually noticeable until AFTER a certain quantity of the spirits have been consumed, they are certainly NOT lacking.

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posted on 03/04/2011 8:17:00 AM PST
by WayneS
(Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)

Purple drank was "invented" by some idiot rapper in the Houston area. It makes me laugh because it sounds like something a minor would mix together before they could legally purchase alcohol. But no, it was an adult who mixed it up.

They refer to it by different names depending on the color of the drink - various things added or types of cough syrup.

So we call all thank a rapper when we have to wait in line to purchase good cough syrup for our children because it has been abused by idiots

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